A Repost From Cedelf P. Tupas of Philippine Daily Inquirer

Moment of truth: Philippine booters battle Sri Lanka today

By Cedelf P. Tupas
Philippine Daily Inquirer

1:51 am | Sunday, July 3rd, 2011

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Photo by AP

MANILA—It’s a match that means the world for a Philippine football team seeking a shot at history.

The Azkals try to justify their status as the new pride and joy of Philippine sports when they face Sri Lanka in the return leg of their World Cup qualifying match today at the newly refurbished Rizal Memorial Stadium.

The 3:30 p.m. game carries a lot of significance for the country, which missed playing at the qualifying event of the 2006 and 2010 editions.

The first World Cup qualifying match in the Philippines in 10 years also gives the national team a chance to advance to the second round of the qualifying tournament for the first time.

“Considering what the national team has been through over the years, this match and playing in front of Filipinos mean so much to us,” said Chieffy Caligdong, a vital cog of the Philippine teams over the past decade.

Caligdong was one of the players who soldiered on even when support for the team was hard to come by and was there when the Azkals finally burst into the nation’s consciousness a few months ago with a historic win over powerhouse Vietnam in Hanoi.

The 1-1 draw in the first leg in Colombo Wednesday may have left several players disappointed, but it has also put the Azkals in a good position to reach the second round with the home side needing just a scoreless draw to advance.

A 1-1 tie will result in extra time and, if needed, penalties to determine the winner, while a 2-2 draw or more will send the Sri Lankans to the second round.

That’s why the Azkals find themselves in a dogfight against a Sri Lankan team that also promised an improved performance from Wednesday.

“We’re not going to sit out there and defend,” said skipper Aly Borromeo. “We’re gonna play our usual game and work hard especially in front of our home crowd.”

The South Asians held their own against the Azkals, slightly taking the shine out of the star-studded lineup, which apparently struggled with several new combinations in the squad while playing on the hard, pockmarked pitch.

Sri Lanka captain Rohana Kuwanthilake said they are ready to spoil the Azkals’ homecoming after working out yesterday. The team arrived late Friday after a 12-hour journey.

“We know that the crowd will be big tomorrow,” he said. “It doesn’t matter. We want to win the match.”

The Sri Lankans took the lead in the first half of the opening leg, but substitute Nate Burkey gave the Azkals the crucial “away” goal with his header five minutes after the break.

Surprisingly, the enormity of the task of finally hurdling the opening-round and meeting big expectations is not bothering the squad.

“They (players) will say we are pretty much looking forward to tomorrow’s (today’s) game,” Azkals coach Michael Weiss said. “There is no pressure.”

The Azkals trained at the Rizal Memorial Stadium for the first time since the game on Saturday afternoon and while several players like Angel Guirado looked gimpy, Weiss said he’ll most likely stick with the same eleven that started Wednesday.

The starting eleven included Guirado, Phil Younghusband who was substituted in the 40th minute because of pain is hamstring, goalkeeper Neil Etheridge, midfielders Stephan Schrock, Manny Ott, Caligdong and defenders Anton del Rosario, Rob Gier, Aly Borromeo and Paul Mulders, an attacking midfielder who has been deployed as leftback in the absence of Ray Jonsson.

Several things look to be going Weiss’ way, particularly with a better-conditioned pitch, which he described as “pretty amazing” and a far cry from the one in Colombo.

Sri Lanka coach Jang Jung, a South Korean, is confident that his squad can stifle the Azkals.

“We are at a disadvantage, but we are prepared,” said Jung, whose team relied on long balls and quick counter attacks to keep the Azkals on their heels in the first leg.

Reposted From Cedelf P. Tupas of Philippine Daily Inquirer

A Repost From Yahoo! News

She punched the Sheriff

Yahoo Newsroom – Fri, Jul 1, 2011

Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte has proven she is no different from her feisty father ‘The Punisher’ Rodrigo Duterte who was Davao’s disciplinarian for years.

In a demolition operation in Davao City, the lady mayor repeatedly punched the Sheriff of the Davao Regional Trial Court, Abe Andres.

See for yourself.

(Video by ANC)

She punched the SheriffVideo by ANC.

UPDATE:

In an interview with ABS-CBN's ANC, Duterte said she already sent the Sheriff to the hospital.

"I actually sent him to the hospital after the confrontation. I think that's sorry enough," Duterte said in the interview.

Duterte said the Sheriff refused to wait for her before pushing through with the demolition. She noted that she was asking for a two-hour extension to avoid riots.

Duterte refused to categorically apologize but has admitted that her act cannot be justified.

"I cannot justify what I did but I will stand by what I'm saying that I was asking him, for humanitarian reasons that you wait for me...so that no riot will happen," Duterte said in a televised interview.

The lady mayor said she's also ready for any charges.

"Fine. I heard they said they're gonna file contempt charges, that's not a problem with me," added Duterte.

Reposted From Yahoo! News and ANC

A Repost From Yahoo! Southeast Asia

REVEALED: What sugar actually does to your brain and body

about a week ago. 14

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Sugar is a sweet, funny thing. For some of us, it’s a love-hate affair that borders around obsession, caution and indulgence. To others, it’s merely just glucose and/or fructose; have too much of it and you get diabetes. Regardless of which group you belong to, you probably can’t avoid having sugar in your diet, so it’s always a good idea to understand better what you eating. Perhaps after reading this entry, you’ll find that sugar isn’t as bad as you had imagined – or possibly much worse than you believe.

Firstly, we should understand that sugar is a very broad term describing different forms of saccharides, of which glucose and fructose are of most direct concern to us. Glucose is what you should consider the natural “fuel” of your body, and that most bodily processes, such as thinking about an exam question or doing push-ups, require glucose in one way or another. Despite so, glucose has its own problems, namely leading to the release of VLDL which in higher amounts, could be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. And then there is the all-too familiar diabetes of course.

Fructose on the other hand, is really just very bad. The body doesn’t require fructose for energy consumption, but will actively do so when its freely flowing in your bloodstream after a fructose-heavy meal. The main difference between this and glucose is that fructose affects your metabolism in more than one negative way, encompassing the release of more VLDL in addition to uric acid production and a whole bunch of other nasty stuff. Bottom is clear: glucose can be bad, whereas fructose can very bad when both are taken in copious amounts.

How does knowledge of fructose, glucose and the scientific stuff affect us? A majority of processed food rely on fructose to get you that tasty flavour, which means that you take in a lot of fructose when you indulge in junk food often. We’re not just talking about hamburgers, potato chips and the like, but also elusive softdrinks that can creep in your life quite sinisterly. Working in the office OT and feeling a little tired? Not a big deal. Simply reach out to the pantry fridge and grab yourself a 7-up. You know how the story goes, so watch out for these moments.

Aside from processed foods, fresh fruits are actually another easy to acquire fructose. Sounds bad? Not exactly. Although fruits contain high fructose, an inherently high fibre content in most of them (like bananas and papayas) informs your brain that satiety is met. Since hunger is disposed of, there isn’t a need for eating anymore, so any further fructose intake is thereby controlled. Besides, fruits are a primary source of vitamins so there is absolutely no reason to cut down on it. Cut away the soda drinks and desserts if you must.

Now that you have a better idea of the magical workings of sugar and especially fructose, how do you deal with it on a day to day basis? To save you from cracking your brains, we have some advice for you:

• Stay away from processed foods and especially soft drinks as much as possible
• Avoid sitting for too long; stand up and walk around a little every hour
• Have a few “sugar” days a week to avoid withdrawal symptoms
• Replace Dessert with something like fresh fruits or fruit juice

Sugar isn’t necessarily bad when taken in higher amounts, as glucose and fructose can boost sporting performances and even give your brain an energy lift (the brain favors glucose as an energy fuel) when you’re falling asleep in class. Just remember that like all things, sugar should taken in moderation.

Follow these simple tips and you’ll be on track to a healthy sugar life. It’s inevitable that you’ll eat sugar all the time so don’t be paranoid consuming sugar regularly in your diet. Instead, focus on how you can reduce sugar intake and watch out for those that are rich in fructose.

Reposted From Yahoo! Southeast Asia